Chasing Cars
By: Mindy Hayes and Michele G. Miller
Synopsis:
On June 18, 1992, Flight 397 crashed off the coast of Long Island. After Amber Pratt lost her parents, her life turned into a downward spiral. So, she did what any twenty-one-year-old would do; she quit her life to backpack across Europe. Olle Holström was supposed to be a fling in the wilds of Finland. A detour. That is all it should have been. It was so much more.
I have been in such a paranormal slump lately. Only choosing
to read the haunting books, or fairy tales. I thought it was time for a little
bit of romance. Chasing Cars is the third book in the Paper Planes trilogy by
Mindy and Michele. I hang my head in shame in saying that I haven’t read the
first two, but I could not stand how alluring this one sounded. Love in
different countries is always so powerful and this one didn’t disappoint. Now I
know that Finnish Love is the only love I want in my life. Unfortunately, I
married a Mexican.
*sigh* We all have to settle sometimes.
I met Mindy and Michele here recently at the Authors in the
Bluegrass book signing and they were both so fun to talk to! They have great
personalities and are very easy going. We joked about genres and tasteful love.
It was smooth sailing. Which is another reason I chose to read Chasing Cars.
(As if Finland wasn’t enough to draw me in).
Let’s talk book talk…
Chasing Cars…blew me away. I didn’t know how much I would
enjoy it until I was about 3 chapters in. I knew… this book would totally crush
me. It would absorb my life and be forever imprinted on my heart.
Amber is so crazy and stubborn and what every fun loving, tough American girl wants to be when traveling Europe ALONE. Yep, alone. Scary
huh? Amber wasn’t scared. She thoroughly enjoyed her travels whether safe or otherwise.
She made some risky choices, which ran her into the new love of my life (that’s
right Amber, I’m coming for him!), Olle.
Not Ollie, Not Ollay. Ol-le.
Ugh Olle… the strong Finnish mountain man who saved Amber
when she was not in the best of circumstances. The stand-up guy who was still
kinda creepy at first with his long hair and scraggly beard. He really knows
how to treat a lady right.
Olle is the most respectful stranger to a vulnerable American
girl. Even if he’s reluctantly respectful at first. Ever seen the movie Hostel? This is the
COMPLETE opposite.
Amber and Olle get to know each other quite well while they
wade through Amber’s troubles and fall in the most admirable, romantic, and
amazing love imaginable.
I haven’t read a love story like this in so long. I think
the last one that stuck like this was Colleen Hoover’s, It Ends With Us. And
that was about a year and a half ago, I believe. So, this is a long time
coming!
I never cry during books. Never. But this one got some tears
brimming. They didn’t fall! But they got close. Had to have a little “pull
yourself together” moment a few times.
Mindy, Michele, and I joked about how romance nowadays is
all about instalove. Girl meets guy, he’s so hot she just can’t help herself,
they play hard to get for a few chapters, and BAM the rest of the book is all
the different ways they have sex. Heard it, Read it, Old news. Hence the reason
for the Paranormal and Fantasy slump I’ve been trapped in.
They promised me that their books are nothing like that.
They completely delivered. I am just astounded at the perfect love placed into
this book. All of Olle and Amber’s steps were perfect and showed TRUE love. Love
that is undying and thirsty for more than just contact.
This is one of the reasons I am so upset that this book
ended! I felt like I was living in Olle and Amber’s life and it was playing out
before my eyes. They were a couple in love that I found while I was traipsing
in Finland and I creepily followed their lives from afar. And now they moved on
and I can’t follow.
*Sigh* I guess I’ll have to play out the rest of their lives
in my mind.
I will for sure be reading the first two Paper Planes
series. I need to know about where the rest of the family came from too! But, Chasing Cars will
always be the one that caught me.
-Courtney Moctezuma
*tears* Love love love this! We are so happy we met you in Lexington, Courtney! You're stuck with us now ;)
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you enjoyed the review. I assure you, I enjoyed the book more!
DeleteGlad to be stuck with such awesome women. :)
I'm so glad you enjoyed the review. I assure you, I enjoyed the book more!
DeleteGlad to be stuck with such awesome women. :)